Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo

Author:Jane Igharo [Igharo, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2020-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

chapter

22

My eyes open, and I push past the mist impairing my vision. Soon, faces take form. My mother, my uncle, Efe, and Jacob are standing, observing me. Concern and fear distort their faces, making their brows furrow and their lips shrivel in deep-set frowns.

“Zere.” My mother steps forward, and I recoil from her outstretched hand.

“What’s going on? Where am I?” I take in the setting. White walls, polyester sheets atop the rigid bed I’m lying on, the grip of bandages holding the IV catheter injected in my forearm, and the mild stink of disinfectant. I’m in a hospital. “What happened?”

“Azere, you fainted,” my mom says. “I tried . . . we tried.” She sniffs and sobs. “We couldn’t wake you. I thought . . .”

“Mommy, please don’t cry. I’m okay.” Am I? What about the baby? With my mother’s support, I rise to a sitting position and touch my stomach. “Where’s the doctor? I need to speak to a—”

Before I complete the sentence, a woman in a lab coat enters the room. There’s a clipboard in her hand and a stethoscope around her wrinkled neck.

“Hello, everyone,” she says. “I’m Dr. Lois Clark.” She studies the paper on the clipboard. “Azere Izoduwa.” She looks at me and smiles. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Sure. But first, let’s take this out.” She disconnects the IV catheter injected in my arm and discards it in the waste bin.

“Now. Where were we?” She glances at my family. “Azere, would you prefer us to have some privacy? Maybe they should wait outside.”

“Absolutely not,” my mother snaps. “She is my daughter. We are her family.” She gestures to the squad. “You can speak freely. Isn’t that right, Zere?”

I should say no. I should ask them all to leave and allow the doctor to deliver my news privately, but my mother’s strict stare indicates that isn’t an option. So I exhale and nod, giving the doctor liberty to speak and most likely expose my biggest secret. I’m terrified. After the revelation, everything will change. Nothing will be the same again.

“Okay.” She pulls silver-rimmed glasses from her face, showing the puffy bags beneath her fatigued eyes. “You fainted because your blood sugar levels were extremely low. When was the last time you ate something?”

“Um . . .” I had a salad and some chicken wings for dinner yesterday—a few hours before Rafael came by. Today, I ate nothing to replace the food I puked. “It’s been a while.”

“Well, in your condition that isn’t sensible. You have to—”

“I’m sorry,” my mother interrupts. “In her condition.” She frowns. “What condition?”

“Um . . .” The doctor glances at my mother and then at me. “Well . . . um . . .”

“I’m pregnant.” The confession makes my mouth bitter and my heart palpitate and my eyes water. “Mom?”

She doesn’t respond. She gapes at me. Her dark eyes are blank with no emotions evident to decipher.

“Maybe I should give you all a minute,” the doctor says, backing toward the door.

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